semrush-cli

name	semrush-cli
description	SEMrush keyword research, domain analytics, backlinks, and competitive intelligence via the local semrush CLI tool
argument-hint	["keyword","domain","or command"]
disable-model-invocation	true
allowed-tools	["Bash","Read"]

SEMrush CLI (Local)

Fast keyword research, domain analytics, backlinks, traffic analysis, and competitive intelligence using the locally installed semrush CLI. This CLI is built from the unified semrush-mcp repo and shares the same API client as the MCP server.

Arguments

$ARGUMENTS

• A keyword, domain, or command to run (e.g., "seo tools", "example.com", "kw seo --related")
• If blank, will prompt for a target

Prerequisites

The CLI is installed globally from the semrush-mcp repo. Verify it's available:

semrush --version

Ensure SEMRUSH_API_KEY is set in your environment or .env file.

Available Commands

1. Quick Overview

Auto-detects whether the target is a keyword or domain and returns the appropriate overview.

semrush q "seo tools"           # Keyword overview
semrush q example.com           # Domain overview
semrush quick "content marketing" -d uk  # Specify database

Options:

• -d, --database <db>: Country database code (default: us)
• -f, --format <fmt>: Output format — text or json (default: text)

2. Keyword Research

In-depth keyword analysis with multiple sub-commands.

# Basic keyword overview
semrush kw "content marketing"

# Related keywords
semrush kw "seo" --related -l 20

# Question-based keywords
semrush kw "marketing" --questions -l 10

# Broad match keywords
semrush kw "email marketing" --broad -l 15

# SERP organic results (who ranks for this keyword)
semrush kw "seo tools" --organic -l 10

# SERP paid results
semrush kw "ppc software" --paid -l 10

Options:

• --related: Get related keywords
• --questions: Get question-based keyword variations
• --broad: Get broad match keywords
• --organic: Get organic SERP results for the keyword
• --paid: Get paid SERP results for the keyword
• -d, --database <db>: Country database code (default: us)
• -l, --limit <n>: Number of results to return
• -f, --format <fmt>: Output format — text or json (default: text)

3. Batch Keyword Difficulty

Analyze difficulty scores for multiple keywords at once.

semrush kd "seo" "content marketing" "link building"
semrush kd "keyword1" "keyword2" "keyword3" -d uk

Options:

• -d, --database <db>: Country database code (default: us)
• -f, --format <fmt>: Output format — text or json (default: text)

4. Domain Analytics

Comprehensive domain analysis with multiple views.

# Domain overview
semrush d semrush.com
semrush domain example.com

# Organic keywords the domain ranks for
semrush d example.com --organic -l 30

# Paid keywords the domain bids on
semrush d example.com --paid -l 20

# Organic search competitors
semrush d example.com --competitors -l 10

Options:

• --organic: Get organic keywords for the domain
• --paid: Get paid keywords for the domain
• --competitors: Get organic search competitors
• -d, --database <db>: Country database code (default: us)
• -l, --limit <n>: Number of results to return
• -f, --format <fmt>: Output format — text or json (default: text)

5. Backlinks

Backlink analysis for domains and URLs.

# Backlink overview
semrush bl example.com
semrush backlinks example.com

# Referring domains
semrush bl example.com --domains -l 20

Options:

• --domains: Get referring domains instead of individual backlinks
• -l, --limit <n>: Number of results to return
• -f, --format <fmt>: Output format — text or json (default: text)

6. Traffic Analytics

Traffic data for domains (requires .Trends subscription).

# Traffic summary
semrush traffic example.com

# Traffic sources breakdown
semrush traffic example.com --sources

Options:

• --sources: Get traffic sources breakdown
• --country <code>: Country filter (default: us)
• -f, --format <fmt>: Output format — text or json (default: text)

7. Keyword Gap Analysis

Find keyword opportunities by comparing two domains.

semrush gaps mysite.com competitor.com -l 50
semrush gaps mysite.com competitor.com -d uk -l 30

Options:

• -d, --database <db>: Country database code (default: us)
• -l, --limit <n>: Number of results to return
• -f, --format <fmt>: Output format — text or json (default: text)

8. API Units Balance

Check remaining API units on your account.

semrush units

Process

Step 1: Understand the request

Determine what kind of research the user wants:

• Quick lookup: Use semrush q for fast overview of a keyword or domain
• Keyword deep-dive: Use semrush kw with appropriate flags
• Domain analysis: Use semrush d with appropriate flags
• Competitive intel: Use semrush d --competitors or semrush gaps
• Backlink audit: Use semrush bl
• Traffic check: Use semrush traffic

Step 2: Run the appropriate command

Based on $ARGUMENTS, construct and execute the right command. Always use -f text for human-readable output unless the user specifically wants JSON.

Step 3: Present findings

Summarize results clearly:

Overview: Brief summary of key metrics

Key Data Points:

• Volume, difficulty, CPC for keywords
• Traffic, keyword count, competitors for domains
• Authority, referring domains for backlinks

Insights: Actionable observations based on the data

Global Options

All commands support these flags:

• -d, --database <db>: Country/database code (default: us). Codes: us, uk, ca, au, de, fr, es, it, br, mx, in, jp, etc.
• -l, --limit <n>: Number of results to return
• -f, --format <fmt>: Output format — text (colorized tables) or json (raw data, pipe to jq)

Example Usage

Research a keyword and its competition

semrush kw "project management software" --related -l 20
semrush kw "project management software" --organic -l 10
semrush kd "project management" "task management" "team collaboration"

Audit a competitor domain

semrush d competitor.com
semrush d competitor.com --organic -l 50
semrush d competitor.com --competitors -l 10
semrush bl competitor.com --domains -l 20

Find keyword gaps

semrush gaps mysite.com competitor.com -l 100

Quick lookups

semrush q "best crm software"
semrush q hubspot.com
semrush units

API Units

Different API calls consume different amounts of units per line returned:

Operation	Units/Line
Keyword overview	10
Batch keyword overview	10
Keyword organic results	10
Keyword paid results	20
Related keywords	40
Keyword ads history	100
Broad match keywords	20
Phrase questions	40
Keyword difficulty	50

Check your balance anytime with semrush units.